SINGAPORE - Peter Gowers, Gerald Lawless and Lim Kok Thay, leading hospitality industry stalwarts have recently become members of the Cornell Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management’s (CNI) Joint Advisory Board. The Joint Advisory Board provides advice to the Deans of CNI, Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and Nanyang technological University’s Business School. Gowers, Lawless and Lim will convene with other members of the Joint Advisory Board twice a year to review and evaluate the Master of Management in Hospitality program, Executive Education programs and helps secure fundraising support for CNI.

Peter Gowers is the Chief Executive Officer for the InterContinental Hotels Group Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, Peter oversees the enhancement and expansion of the Group’s network of approximately 200 hotels across IHG’s five key brands: InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express® and Hotel Indigo®. He is also a member of IHG’s group Executive Committee.

Gerald Lawless is the Executive Chairman of the Jumeirah Group, responsible for leading the Group to become the most distinctive and innovative hospitality group in the world. He joined the group in 1997 as Managing Director to develop a hospitality portfolio that would deliver a completely different experience. To this end, he established the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Wild Wadi Water

Park and the Burj Al Arab which rapidly set new international standards in hospitality.

Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay is the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Genting Group, one of Asia's leading and best-managed conglomerates. He joined the Group in 1976 and played a key role in developing the Group's primary leisure asset, Genting Highlands Resort to become one of the world’s leading integrated resort. He spearheaded the internationalization of the Genting Group - creating casinos and resorts in Australia, the Philippines and the Bahamas. More recently, he expanded the Group's presence in the UK via Genting Stanley - the largest casino operator in that country. He led the Group to successfully win the competitive bid to develop Resorts World at Sentosa - one of Singapore's only two integrated resorts, targeted to complete by 2010. Tan Sri Lim’ vision and drive had enabled him to establish Star Cruises as the world’s third largest cruise line and Asia-Pacific’s leading cruise operator in Asia-Pacific. He has also diversified the Group’s portfolio by investing in the power generation, oil palm plantations, property development, biotechnology and oil & gas related activities.

Members of the Joint Advisory Board serve for three years. Other members of the Joint Advisory Board include

  • Mr. Marvin Cheung, a former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KPMG Hong Kong and China
  • Mr. Michael Chiu, president of Prima Donna Development in Los Altos, California
  • Ms. Jennie Chua, President and CEO and Executive Director of the Ascott Group Ltd
  • Professor Michael D. Johnson, Dean Cornell School of Hotel Administration
  • Mr. Kevin McGovern, Chairman and CEO of McGovern Capital LLC
  • Mr. Kurt Ritter, President and CEO of Rezidor Hospitality
  • Dr. John Siliciano, Vice Provost at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
  • Professor Jitendra Singh, Dean Nanyang Business School
  • Mr. David Strong, Associate Dean of Business Affairs at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration
  • Mr. Chiaki Tanuma is the President and CEO of Green House Group (GHG)
  • Mr. Philip Yeo, Special Advisor for Economic Development (Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore)
  • Mr. Yang Wei Min, Vice Chairman and CEO of Shanghai Jinjiang International Hotels Development Company Ltd
  • Mr. William E. Heinecke, Chairman and CEO of The Minor Group
  • Ms. Aw Kah-Peng, Assistant Managing Director, Industry Development at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)
  • Mr. Lim Neo Chian, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board
  • Dr. Judy Siguaw, Dean Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management
  • Dr. Russell Smith, Vice-Dean Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management

About Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management | The Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (CNI) is jointly operated and governed by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and Nanyang Technological University’s Business School. Located in Singapore, CNI is strategically positioned to develop leaders, managers and entrepreneurs for the Asian hospitality and tourism industry. CNI offers three hospitality education programs designed to alleviate the severe shortage of qualified talent that is currently plaguing the hospitality industry in Asia and the Middle East.

Equivalent to an MBA, the one year Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) program prepares students to be theory-based, action-oriented leaders of executive management teams and entrepreneurial ventures in the hospitality and service industry. CNI MMH students spend six months at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and six months at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, thus taking advantage of educational and networking opportunities in both Asia and North America in a single year.

The Professional Development Program (PDP) offers three-day courses that cover different aspects of hotel management. PDP teaches cutting-edge management techniques, presented by internationally recognized faculty members and industry leaders. Participants can earn Cornell certifications in Financial Management, Food, Beverage, and Restaurant Management, General and Strategic Management, Human-Resource Management, Marketing, Operations Management and Property-Asset Management and Real Estate. CNI has hosted over 900 PDP participants from 30 countries in the last two years. The PDP will be held from January 5-17, 2009 in Singapore.

The General Managers Program (GMP) is designed for hotel general managers of full service hotels and their immediate successors. Participants in this 10-day program concentrate on strategic hospitality management issues, work collaboratively to expand the foundation of their knowledge, and produce new solutions to the challenges they face. GMP 2009 in Singapore will be offered from July 20-30, 2009.

Please visit the Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management website () for more information.

Sonali Deuskar
Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management
+65 6790 5800
CNI